"Little Charlotte, she's as pretty as the angels when they sing. I can't believe I'm out here on her front porch in this swing, just a swingin'." (John Anderson - "Swingin'").

Also known as "The Queen City", the "The Wasp's Nest", and "City of Churches", on first glance, Charlotte seems to have multiple personality syndrome. It is at once a home for the prestigious and notorious, the modest and flamboyant, the religious and the recidivists. Despite this schizophrenic tendency, most neighborhoods still have the southern comfort of a small-town atmosphere.

Having trouble with Craigslist Charlotte? Can't find that special apartment for rent on Apartment Finder or Zillow? Apartment List is here to help!

NASCAR at Lowe's Speedway

Catawba River

Charlotte's Trolley System

Things to Consider When Choosing your Charlotte Chateau:

Fool's Paradise. Be wary of seemingly lavish apartment complexes with low rent. Most of the time, you get what you pay for. Sure the complex has a rooftop fire place, a huge pool, and a movie theater. But, if the fireplace is broken, the pool adds an extra $50 to your water bill, and the movie theater smells like sweat, cigarettes, and desperation, then life won't be so luxurious.

Climate Control. In a city that experiences both freezing winters and the heat of southern summers, utility costs can become a burden. You can either find an apartment that is all bills paid, or expect to spend more than $150 a month on utilities during summer and winter peaks.

Uptown Security. On a similar note, be sure to ask apartment managers all about the security features of your potential home. Many apartment complexes around downtown and the arts district won't let you go anywhere without a card or key: the elevator, the parking garage, the pool, etc. With tight security like this, you will want to make sure your apartment has a system that allows you to buzz people in. Otherwise, you will have to take a hike downstairs every time you have visitors, or pizza.

Proof of Income. Many places in Charlotte do not accept bank statements as proof of income. This could make things complicated for trust fund babies, freelance workers, and people that just get by on odd jobs. If you make or have enough money to pay taxes on, then last year's tax statements should be sufficient.

Transportation. A car may be necessary unless you are moving into a place on the south side or close to downtown. Charlotte becomes a very sprawling city to the north, and bus routes can be few and far between. However, if you take a peak at the CATS map, then you will be able to find a few apartment complexes up north that are located near one of these bus routes. See: Lynx Blue Line Light Rail, Gold Rush, and Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS).

Charlotte Cityscape

There are nearly 200 neighborhoods sprawled in all directions from Charlotte's city center, creating enough space for urban socialites, suburban families, and even rural country folk that prefer a more small town vibe.

Uptown. Some cities have downtowns. Charlotte has uptown. Take a stroll along the backdrop of the center of the city, the eye of the storm, the epicenter of business, bar hopping, historic churches, global cuisine, cocktails, and live music.

First Ward: Mixed-income, high-demand apartments a stone's throw away from center city nightlife.

Second Ward. (Aka Brooklyn) Home to NASCAR events, government buildings, Zion Church, and dreams of revitalization... no actual homes, though.

Third Ward. Mostly just known for Bank of America Stadium, home of the North Carolina Panthers.

Sedgefield: The neighborhood for professionals working downtown and families looking for an affordable home.

Elizabeth: Comic book stores, modern apartments among historic homes, and the annual 4th of July fireworks.

South Park: Symphonies in the park, international cuisine, high-end department shopping, and general upscale urban living.

Starmount: Practical and culturally diverse.

Northeast Country. Move to the outskirts if you prefer woodsy ranch-style living over urban high rises and suburban bland land.

Derita. Woodsy, neighborhood that's big on youth sports and picnics in the park.
University City. Home to five colleges, three public libraries, parks, lakes, shopping, dining and entertainment, and a close-knit population of proud golfers.

West Side Swagger. Charlotte's west side is made up of deeply rooted African American communities, streetcar suburbs, and outskirts villages.

Biddleville: Affordable living one mile from uptown.

Southend: Old cotton mills and warehouses renovated into modern apartments.

February 2019 Charlotte Rent Report

Welcome to the February 2019 Charlotte Rent Report. Charlotte rents increased over the past month. In this report, we'll evaluate trends in the Charlotte rental market, including comparisons to cities throughout the state and nation.

February 2019 Charlotte Rent Report

Welcome to the February 2019 Charlotte Rent Report. Charlotte rents increased over the past month. In this report, we'll evaluate trends in the Charlotte rental market, including comparisons to cities throughout the state and nation.

Charlotte rents increased slightly over the past month

Charlotte rents have increased 0.2% over the past month, and have increased moderately by 3.2% in comparison to the same time last year. Currently, median rents in Charlotte stand at $960 for a one-bedroom apartment and $1,130 for a two-bedroom. This is the third straight month that the city has seen rent increases after a decline in October of last year. Charlotte's year-over-year rent growth leads the state average of 2.6%, as well as the national average of 1.0%.

Rents rising across cities in North Carolina

Throughout the past year, rent increases have been occurring not just in the city of Charlotte, but across the entire state. Of the largest 10 cities that we have data for in North Carolina, all of them have seen prices rise. The state as a whole logged rent growth of 2.6% over the past year. Here's a look at how rents compare across some of the largest cities in the state.

Looking throughout the state, Cary is the most expensive of all North Carolina's major cities, with a median two-bedroom rent of $1,240; of the 10 largest North Carolina cities that we have data for, all have seen rents rise year-over-year, with High Point experiencing the fastest growth (+5.6%).

Wilmington, Durham, and Charlotte have all experienced year-over-year growth above the state average (5.3%, 3.6%, and 3.2%, respectively).

Charlotte rents more affordable than many comparable cities nationwide

As rents have increased moderately in Charlotte, a few other large cities nationwide have also seen rents grow modestly. Charlotte is still more affordable than most similar cities across the country.

Charlotte's median two-bedroom rent of $1,130 is slightly below the national average of $1,170. Nationwide, rents have grown by 1.0% over the past year compared to the 3.2% increase in Charlotte.

While Charlotte's rents rose moderately over the past year, many cities nationwide also saw increases, including Phoenix (+3.6%), San Francisco (+2.7%), and Denver (+2.5%).

Renters will find more reasonable prices in Charlotte than most comparable cities. For example, San Francisco has a median 2BR rent of $3,090, which is more than two-and-a-half times the price in Charlotte.

For more information check out our national report. You can also access our full data for cities and counties across the U.S. at this link.

City

Median 1BR price

Median 2BR price

M/M price change

Y/Y price change

Charlotte

$960

$1,130

0.2%

3.2%

Gastonia

$690

$800

1.2%

2.5%

Rock Hill

$840

$980

-0.5%

2.8%

Huntersville

$1,130

$1,310

-0.6%

4.2%

Matthews

$1,170

$1,370

0.5%

19%

Cornelius

$890

$1,030

-0.6%

5.3%

See More

Methodology - Recent Updates:

Data from private listing sites, including our own, tends to skew toward luxury apartments, which introduces sample bias when estimates are calculated directly from these listings. To address these limitations, we’ve recently made major updates to our methodology, which we believe have greatly improved the accuracy and reliability of our estimates.

Read more about our new methodology below, or see a more detailed post here.

Methodology:

Apartment List is committed to making our rent estimates the best and most accurate available. To do this, we start with reliable median rent statistics from the Census Bureau, then extrapolate them forward to the current month using a growth rate calculated from our listing data. In doing so, we use a same-unit analysis similar to Case-Shiller’s approach, comparing only units that are available across both time periods to provide an accurate picture of rent growth in cities across the country.

Our approach corrects for the sample bias inherent in other private sources, producing results that are much closer to statistics published by the Census Bureau and HUD. Our methodology also allows us to construct a picture of rent growth over an extended period of time, with estimates that are updated each month.

About Rent Reports:

Apartment List publishes monthly reports on rental trends for hundreds of cities across the U.S. We intend these reports to be a source of reliable information that help renters and policymakers make sound decisions, and we invest significant time and effort in gathering and analyzing rent data. Our work is covered regularly by journalists across the country.

We are continuously working to improve our methodology and data, with the goal of providing renters with the information that they need to make the best decisions.

Renter Confidence Survey

Apartment List has released Charlotte’s results from the third annual Apartment List Renter Satisfaction Survey. This survey, which drew on responses from over 45,000 renters, provides insight on what states and cities must do to meet the needs of 111 million American renters nationwide.

"Charlotte renters expressed general satisfaction with the city overall," according to Apartment List....

Apartment List has released Charlotte’s results from the third annual Apartment List Renter Satisfaction Survey. This survey, which drew on responses from over 45,000 renters, provides insight on what states and cities must do to meet the needs of 111 million American renters nationwide.

"Charlotte renters expressed general satisfaction with the city overall," according to Apartment List. "They gave most categories above average scores."

Key findings in Charlotte include the following:

Charlotte renters gave their city an A- overall.

The highest-rated categories for Charlotte were social life and jobs and career opportunities, which both received A- grades.

The area of concern to Charlotte renters is the quality of local schools (C).

Millennial renters are very satisfied with their city, giving it an overall rating of A-, while renters who are parents are equally satisfied, giving it an A.

Charlotte did relatively well to other cities in North Carolina, including Durham (C), Winston-Salem (B) and Wilmington (C).